Travel Blogs from Guatemala

I sit on the rooftop balcony of the Posada Dona Clara in Antigua, Guatemala, recording my thoughts. I confess it is this balcony that has kept me here, despite the promise of more company and fewer ...

... .
After our nice day in the cool air, Santa Ana seemed oppressively hot, so we decided to decamp for the highlands of Guatemala.
After 5 border crossings, we have to say that it has ALWAYS gone smoother for us when we have taken a local bus to ...

My first day in Lanquin a bat flew into my hair. Yes, a bat. Another one made friends with my back. And I would like to say that I was calm through all of this, merely saying, "Hey guys, a bat just ran into me. Isnīt that ...

... time helping you.
Our first stay in Guatemala only lasted two days because we were just popping into Peten (the northern bit of Guatemala that sticks out between Belize and Mexico) to see Tikal and the nearby town of Flores. Flores is a little town ...

... good pictures on that one too.
Once I got to the "bus station" or storefront where buses depart from, I learned that the bus to Guatemala already left. So I was advised to get on that van over there to Morales and catch the bus there. So I got into a ...

... ; I had asked for the focus of the ceremony to be to help me become emotionally stronger - I knew I'd be leaving Guatemala in a few days, and I didn't want to spend too much time distraught over the separation with Nelson. Mapira suggested we also ...

... from the beer soaked sweaty gringo. I'm not going to go into too much detail about the tour, but if you are ever in Guatemala or Central America, this is the mother of all Maya ruins. We are shown a small scale version and the guide informs us of the ...

... why Europeans and other gringo's like this beautiful mountain land so much, but it is a explosive place and I believe that Guatemala is for away from becoming a emancipated democracy...
To be continued... in the next entry 'Back to Costa ...

Just after we wrote our last entry, we went to pick up our clothes at the laundromat. When we opened the package in our room, we discovered my pants on top with a note (in Spanish) that basically said "these were dirty when they came in", and my ...

We didnīt find a sailboat to take us to Belize (slow time of year), so we got on a bus yesterday to Flores. The guy at the bus station told us that all busses were full, that we would have to stand for the four hour trip. Fortunately, an Australian ...

... time more people are picked up so that they can pass further back into the chaos. Welcome to public transportation Guatemala style. But eventually we manage to get ourselves and our bags into our very own seat after about an hour or ...

... movies every night, and usually good ones.
* Footnote about the Mayan Culture. There are over 22 different Mayan Languages in Guatemala alone. One would assume the languages are similar, but in reality only a few are. The languages can be very varied, ...

... nights in San Pedro la Laguna, a very cheap and therefore backpacker-filled town on Lago de Atitlan (the biggest lake in Guatemala, and supposedly among the most beautiful in the world, but you know how the tourist literature goes...) The town does have ...

I have just "chicken bused" myself down from Chichicastenango to the shores of Lake Atitlan (Panajachel). If you want to spend your 35th birthday downing Gallo (local beer) while toe-dipping by a lake, I guess this must be it. Lake Atitlan is just as ...

... wasn't a shaman; he was Saint Simon, one of the original 12 disciples, who had performed miracles and apparently appeared at one time in Guatemala. San Simon sat upon an altar, dressed smartly in a suit and tie. Devotees climbed up to the altar to ask his ...

... hostel, I lay on my bed for some time, before an older woman from California talks to me. She has been travelling throughout Guatemala for over a month and was sharing her experiences with me. She also told me about the tasty cheap food on offer inside ...

... Costa Rica, she mentioned that she wanted to visit Panama while she was here. I quickly sold her on visiting Guatemala instead. I absolutely loved it the first time I visited with Carolina and would use any excuse to return!
...

... English for that matter. Friendly Matt from Melbourne, almost at the end of his two months trip around Cuba, Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. His friend Stephanie from Germany. Well traveled Steve (Kiwi) and Catherine (UK) on their way to Panama, just like ...

So my graduation speech probably won't go down in history, other than for maybe being the shortest ever. I also think I impressed my Spanish teacher the other morning when he asked me..
"ŋDe donde eres?" (Where are you from?)
Where I quickly ...

We planned to stay in Antigua for 2 days, 2 and a bit weeks later we left!
We decided to take a break from the travelling scene for a bit and kick back and enjoy this beautiful city for a while.
Antigua is overflowing with colonial architecture and ...

... full and private rooms were too expensive. Our only other option was to camp or hammock it. Now bearing in mind this area of Guatemala has torrential downpours, one of which was unloading itself at the time, our tent didn't seem like a good plan. There is ...

... roads and rolling hills and there were amazing views. Eventually we reached our destination of Panajachel, known by the rest of Guatemala as 'Pana'. It was ridiculously touristy with row after row of stalls selling all kinds of crap, so naturally Claire ...

... .
We learned from Andres that the word "Chapin" comes from the ancient Guachipilin tree, which the indigenous people of Guatemala used to make shoes from many, many years ago, and hence the word "Chapinlandia" was born! At least that's Andres' ...

You are deep in some steamy Central American jungle looking for Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, when you thanks to your lucky amulet come down with Montezuma's Revenge. That's when you notice that the antibiotics your doctor gave you specifically ...

... was the epicentre of power for Central America until a massive earthquake in 1773 smashed the city and they moved the capital to Guatemala City. They plundered it for material but the locals never really gave up on the idea of their city and rebuilt it. ...